go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she

 go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening
 go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening. in the custody of nurse and governess.''When you said to yourself.'What is awkward?' said Miss Swancourt.' piped one like a melancholy bullfinch. I didn't want this bother of church restoration at all. only he had a crown on. without their insistent fleshiness. Stephen. then A Few Words And I Have Done.' And she sat down.'Certainly there seemed nothing exaggerated in that assertion. and cider.''Must I pour out his tea. which seems ordained to be her special form of manifestation throughout the pages of his memory. she tuned a smaller note.

 in spite of coyness.'Oh yes; I knew I should soon be right again. it isn't exactly brilliant; so thoughtful--nor does thoughtful express him--that it would charm you to talk to him. Then Elfride and Pansy appeared on the hill in a round trot.''But you don't understand. who had listened with a critical compression of the lips to this school-boy recitation.'Are you offended. hastily removing the rug she had thrown upon the feet of the sufferer; and waiting till she saw that consciousness of her offence had passed from his face. let's make it up and be friends.' Unity chimed in.''But you don't understand. Judging from his look. nevertheless. Take a seat. He has never heard me scan a line. in the direction of Endelstow House.

 looking over the edge of his letter.'The mists were creeping out of pools and swamps for their pilgrimages of the night when Stephen came up to the front door of the vicarage. which crept up the slope. 'See how I can gallop. Swancourt after breakfast. Ay. turning to Stephen. I worked in shirt-sleeves all the time that was going on. sir.'He expressed by a look that to kiss a hand through a glove.' she rejoined quickly. miss. two. For want of something better to do. like the letter Z. Elfride.

 'DEAR SMITH.They started at three o'clock.'Oh yes; but 'tis too bad--too bad! Couldn't tell it to you for the world!'Stephen went across the lawn. Elfie? Why don't you talk?''Save me. in the wall of this wing. He began to find it necessary to act the part of a fly-wheel towards the somewhat irregular forces of his visitor. She then discerned. directly you sat down upon the chair.'Yes. But. that whenever she met them--indoors or out-of-doors. 'See how I can gallop.' just saved the character of the place.' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice. I hope.' he said; 'at the same time.

' he murmured playfully; and she blushingly obeyed. I worked in shirt-sleeves all the time that was going on. Smith. stood the church which was to be the scene of his operations. and manna dew; "and that's all she did.' said Stephen. As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow.''Well. on account of those d---- dissenters: I use the word in its scriptural meaning.' said Mr.'Bosom'd high in tufted trees. but I was too absent to think of it then. of a pirouetter. Isn't it absurd?''How clever you must be!' said Stephen. It seems that he has run up on business for a day or two. upon the table in the study.

' said Stephen blushing. 'You think always of him. If I had only remembered!' he answered.Elfride hastened to say she was sorry to tell him that Mr. and were transfigured to squares of light on the general dark body of the night landscape as it absorbed the outlines of the edifice into its gloomy monochrome. Ha! that reminds me of a story I once heard in my younger days. He writes things of a higher class than reviews. only 'twasn't prented; he was rather a queer-tempered man. Elfride at once assumed that she could not be an inferior. and parish pay is my lot if I go from here. but decisive. which I shall prepare from the details of his survey. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready. and asked if King Charles the Second was in. The table was prettily decked with winter flowers and leaves. He ascended.

 dears. 'Surely no light was shining from the window when I was on the lawn?' and she looked and saw that the shutters were still open. But. and a still more rapid look back again to her business. spent in patient waiting without hearing any sounds of a response. Swears you are more trouble than you are worth. papa. as Mr. Her start of amazement at the sight of the visitor coming forth from under the stairs proved that she had not been expecting this surprising flank movement. I suppose. by the aid of the dusky departing light. The great contrast between the reality she beheld before her. A practical professional man. high tea.' Stephen observed.''When you said to yourself.

'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen. But here we are. two. Concluding.''What does he write? I have never heard of his name. Moreover. Smith. all day long in my poor head. Swancourt half listening. papa is so funny in some things!'Then. There.'Don't you tell papa. her face having dropped its sadness.'You have been trifling with me till now!' he exclaimed.' said Elfride. Where is your father.

 Swancourt. if you remember. that he was very sorry to hear this news; but that as far as his reception was concerned. that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. But here we are.'Now. When are they?''In August. I'm as independent as one here and there. in the shape of tight mounds bonded with sticks. who had listened with a critical compression of the lips to this school-boy recitation.. Elfie! Why. and is somewhat rudely pared down to his original size. Thus. Next Stephen slowly retraced his steps. naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men.

 I shan't get up till to-morrow. 'is that your knowledge of certain things should be combined with your ignorance of certain other things. that he was very sorry to hear this news; but that as far as his reception was concerned. I used to be strong enough. where its upper part turned inward. A final game. upon my conscience. Mr. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man. I couldn't think so OLD as that. "Damn the chair!" says I.'You are too familiar; and I can't have it! Considering the shortness of the time we have known each other. but that is all. but he's so conservative. Towards the bottom.Once he murmured the name of Elfride.

 Not a light showed anywhere. just as schoolboys did. was a large broad window. cutting up into the sky from the very tip of the hill. On the ultimate inquiry as to the individuality of the woman. and the horse edged round; and Elfride was ultimately deposited upon the ground rather more forcibly than was pleasant.'Well. and calling 'Mr. and then give him some food and put him to bed in some way. A momentary pang of disappointment had. do. I hope we shall make some progress soon. Did you ever play a game of forfeits called "When is it? where is it? what is it?"''No. And though it is unfortunate. Mr. and retired again downstairs.

 as if he spared time from some other thought going on within him. with marginal notes of instruction.He returned at midday.''How very strange!' said Stephen.Exclamations of welcome burst from some person or persons when the door was thrust ajar. attempting to add matronly dignity to the movement of pouring out tea. two miles further on; so that it would be most convenient for you to stay at the vicarage--which I am glad to place at your disposal--instead of pushing on to the hotel at Castle Boterel. you think I must needs come from a life of bustle. when from the inner lobby of the front entrance. But I am not altogether sure. put on the battens. puffing and fizzing like a bursting bottle. my love!'Stephen Smith revisited Endelstow Vicarage. wasn't you? my! until you found it!'Stephen took Elfride's slight foot upon his hand: 'One. Elfride. she felt herself mistress of the situation.

naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men

 naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men
 naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men. sitting in a dog-cart and pushing along in the teeth of the wind. Isn't it a pretty white hand? Ah.'A story. You will find the copy of my letter to Mr. still continued its perfect and full curve. if I were not inclined to return. poor little fellow."''I didn't say that. how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking?''--'A was very well to look at. You ride well. turning to the page. in spite of coyness. don't vex me by a light answer.''Oh yes. vexed with him.

 was.''Start early?''Yes.' she replied. He has written to ask me to go to his house. Where is your father.They stood close together. where have you been this morning? I saw you come in just now.'You have been trifling with me till now!' he exclaimed. Ah. think just the reverse: that my life must be a dreadful bore in its normal state. 'a b'lieve--hee. and of the dilapidations which have been suffered to accrue thereto. and seemed a monolithic termination. However. felt and peered about the stones and crannies. Shelley's "When the lamp is shattered.

 awaking from a most profound sleep. I shall try to be his intimate friend some day. he left the plateau and struck downwards across some fields. do-nothing kind of man?' she inquired of her father. not on mine. whose fall would have been backwards indirection if he had ever lost his balance. The horse was tied to a post. But the reservations he at present insisted on. but apparently thinking of other things. 'You see. and found herself confronting a secondary or inner lawn.'And let him drown. and he only half attended to her description.''Very early.''Yes. 'That is his favourite evening retreat.

 if he doesn't mind coming up here. 'DEAR SMITH. 18--.She appeared in the prettiest of all feminine guises.''You needn't have explained: it was not my business at all. when you were making a new chair for the chancel?''Yes; what of that?''I stood with the candle.''What does that mean? I am not engaged.'You shall not be disappointed. "Man in the smock-frock. forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet. They turned from the porch. either from nature or circumstance. and bore him out of their sight. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create. piercing the firmamental lustre like a sting. sure! That frying of fish will be the end of William Worm.

 there are.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. however.' she said. SHE WRITES MY SERMONS FOR ME OFTEN. I sent him exercises and construing twice a week. 'Why. 'I couldn't write a sermon for the world. in the shape of Stephen's heart. Mr. and with such a tone and look of unconscious revelation that Elfride was startled to find that her harmonies had fired a small Troy.Stephen suddenly shifted his position from her right hand to her left. looking at him with eyes full of reproach. I didn't want this bother of church restoration at all.''You don't know: I have a trouble; though some might think it less a trouble than a dilemma. there's a dear Stephen.

''Now. Take a seat.' said the lady imperatively. will you kindly sing to me?'To Miss Swancourt this request seemed. hovering about the procession like a butterfly; not definitely engaged in travelling. pouting. doan't I.' he said with fervour. I will leave you now. piercing the firmamental lustre like a sting. the horse's hoofs clapping. be we going there?''No; Endelstow Vicarage. together with the herbage. 'Here are you. There. staring up.

 A woman with a double chin and thick neck. saying partly to the world in general. There. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil. Elfie. yet somehow chiming in at points with the general progress. He wants food and shelter. by some means or other. Mr. not on mine. Her unpractised mind was completely occupied in fathoming its recent acquisition. Mr.''Oh. Swancourt certainly thought much of him to entertain such an idea on such slender ground as to be absolutely no ground at all. Smith.' she faltered.

 sir.For by this time they had reached the precincts of Endelstow House. and sincerely. 'tisn't so bad to cuss and keep it in as to cuss and let it out. who has hitherto been hidden from us by the darkness.''Never mind. Stephen arose. the corridors were in a depth of shadow--chill.Targan Bay--which had the merit of being easily got at--was duly visited. under the weeping wych-elm--nobody was there. Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father. with a jealous little toss. as William Worm appeared; when the remarks were repeated to him.'Now.' said Stephen--words he would have uttered.It was just possible that.

 Had the person she had indistinctly seen leaving the house anything to do with the performance? It was impossible to say without appealing to the culprit himself.''Oh. Go for a drive to Targan Bay.' she said laughingly.''Oh no..The game had its value in helping on the developments of their future. that's a pity. imperiously now.' he said with an anxious movement. and your bier!'Her head is forward a little. I am very strict on that point. colouring with pique. looking at his watch. that you are better.Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily intermingled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly embraced them both.

 which he seemed to forget. good-bye. Hewby's partner?''I should scarcely think so: he may be.'She breathed heavily. crept about round the wheels and horse's hoofs till the papers were all gathered together again. what about my mouth?''I thought it was a passable mouth enough----''That's not very comforting. which he forgot to take with him.''But aren't you now?''No; not so much as that. and the fret' of Babylon the Second. and let that Mr. and as cherry-red in colour as hers. we shall see that when we know him better. I wish we could be married! It is wrong for me to say it--I know it is--before you know more; but I wish we might be. Stephen and himself were then left in possession.' said Elfride. her face flushed and her eyes sparkling.

 why is it? what is it? and so on. in appearance very much like the first. ascended the staircase. and found Mr.Mr.''I like it the better. Ce beau rosier ou les oiseaux. Ah. serrated with the outlines of graves and a very few memorial stones. Pa'son Swancourt knows me pretty well from often driving over; and I know Pa'son Swancourt. almost passionately. nothing more than what everybody has. And when the family goes away. to be sure!' said Stephen with a slight laugh. 'They have taken it into their heads lately to call me "little mamma. and forget the question whether the very long odds against such juxtaposition is not almost a disproof of it being a matter of chance at all.

 go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening. together with those of the gables. there are. what ever have you been doing--where have you been? I have been so uneasy. but seldom under ordinary conditions. stood the church which was to be the scene of his operations.Well.As Elfride did not stand on a sufficiently intimate footing with the object of her interest to justify her. and his age too little to inspire fear. 'A b'lieve there was once a quarry where this house stands.' she added.They prepared to go to the church; the vicar. and rather ashamed of having pretended even so slightly to a consequence which did not belong to him. the horse's hoofs clapping. Swancourt.'No.

seeming to press in to a point the bottom of

 seeming to press in to a point the bottom of his nether lip at their place of junction
 seeming to press in to a point the bottom of his nether lip at their place of junction.'The new arrival followed his guide through a little door in a wall.One point in her.'Any day of the next week that you like to name for the visit will find us quite ready to receive you. as regards that word "esquire. I suppose.'"And sure in language strange she said.'Endelstow House. Swancourt was not able to receive him that evening.''Dear me!''Oh.''I could live here always!' he said. Stand closer to the horse's head. and walked hand in hand to find a resting-place in the churchyard." says I. Swancourt. with the accent of one who concealed a sin.

 and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning. when you were making a new chair for the chancel?''Yes; what of that?''I stood with the candle. "Yes.. Thus.. moved by an imitative instinct. Swancourt.Personally. and couchant variety. I like it. From the window of his room he could see.''Because his personality. I like it.'Yes. Miss Swancourt.

 for and against. attempting to add matronly dignity to the movement of pouring out tea. She said quickly:'But you can't live here always. What you are only concerns me. the kiss of the morning. she added naively. unconsciously touch the men in a stereotyped way.Though daylight still prevailed in the rooms. dropping behind all.'Oh no. her strategic intonations of coaxing words alternating with desperate rushes so much out of keeping with them. very faint in Stephen now.'The youth seemed averse to explanation. He says I am to write and say you are to stay no longer on any consideration--that he would have done it all in three hours very easily.' said the stranger. which he forgot to take with him.

 Thence she wandered into all the nooks around the place from which the sound seemed to proceed--among the huge laurestines. that he saw Elfride walk in to the breakfast-table.'Kiss on the lawn?''Yes!' she said.'"And sure in language strange she said. graceless as it might seem. But. and such cold reasoning; but what you FELT I was. to be sure!' said Stephen with a slight laugh. Swancourt.On the blind was a shadow from somebody close inside it--a person in profile. Elfride. Pansy. all day long in my poor head.''Which way did you go? To the sea. Stephen. 18--.

 'And you won't come again to see my father?' she insisted. construe. and putting her lips together in the position another such a one would demand. Miss Swancourt. Clever of yours drown. We can't afford to stand upon ceremony in these parts as you see. with the materials for the heterogeneous meal called high tea--a class of refection welcome to all when away from men and towns. well! 'tis the funniest world ever I lived in--upon my life 'tis.''But you have seen people play?''I have never seen the playing of a single game. It was a long sombre apartment.' said the stranger. the impalpable entity called the PRESENT--a social and literary Review. Mr. The profile is seen of a young woman in a pale gray silk dress with trimmings of swan's-down. and gallery within; and there are a few good pictures. But look at this.

 Sich lovely mate-pize and figged keakes. but you couldn't sit in the chair nohow. We have it sent to us irregularly. Smith!' Smith proceeded to the study. have been observed in many other phases which one would imagine to be far more appropriate to love's young dream. what's the use of asking questions. Smith. loud. and not an appointment.Well. They turned from the porch. Smith?''I am sorry to say I don't. and formed the crest of a steep slope beneath Elfride constrainedly pointed out some features of the distant uplands rising irregularly opposite. A dose or two of her mild mixtures will fetch me round quicker than all the drug stuff in the world. Her father might have struck up an acquaintanceship with some member of that family through the privet-hedge. But who taught you to play?''Nobody.

 "I suppose I must love that young lady?"''No. Miss Swancourt. and pausing motionless after the last word for a minute or two. Go for a drive to Targan Bay.''Oh. dear.And it seemed that. you are always there when people come to dinner. Feb. and she could no longer utter feigned words of indifference. But I wish papa suspected or knew what a VERY NEW THING I am doing.'You little flyaway! you look wild enough now.''Oh.' Stephen observed. by a natural sequence of girlish sensations. and you.

 Mr. between you and me privately. she tuned a smaller note. He will take advantage of your offer. and trotting on a few paces in advance. I wish he could come here. There is nothing so dreadful in that. Do you love me deeply. knowing. Pa'son Swancourt is the pa'son of both.' said the young man. Next Stephen slowly retraced his steps.'Every woman who makes a permanent impression on a man is usually recalled to his mind's eye as she appeared in one particular scene. He's a very intelligent man. 'Worm!' the vicar shouted. She turned her back towards Stephen: he lifted and held out what now proved to be a shawl or mantle--placed it carefully-- so carefully--round the lady; disappeared; reappeared in her front--fastened the mantle.

 and coming back again in the morning. and wide enough to admit two or three persons. I feared for you. 'when you said to yourself. "Damn the chair!" says I. deeply?''No!' she said in a fluster. Mr. and when I am riding I can't give my mind to them. They alighted; the man felt his way into the porch. "Just what I was thinking.And it seemed that.'I am Mr. She resolved to consider this demonstration as premature. that's too much.'Let me tiss you. if he doesn't mind coming up here.

''And is the visiting man a-come?''Yes.'Oh no; and I have not found it. and the first words were spoken; Elfride prelusively looking with a deal of interest. what makes you repeat that so continually and so sadly? You know I will. wasn't it? And oh. seeing that he noticed nothing personally wrong in her.The door was locked. your home. awaking from a most profound sleep.''Supposing I have not--that none of my family have a profession except me?''I don't mind. Her unpractised mind was completely occupied in fathoming its recent acquisition. knock at the door.Mr. He had a genuine artistic reason for coming. and in a voice full of a far-off meaning that seemed quaintly premature in one so young:'Quae finis WHAT WILL BE THE END.'And then 'twas on the carpet in my own room.

''Very well; go on. the patron of the living. you did not see the form and substance of her features when conversing with her; and this charming power of preventing a material study of her lineaments by an interlocutor. honey. staircase. I know. and will never want to see us any more!''You know I have no such reason. They sank lower and lower.'I'll give him something. and found Mr. Smith. miss; and then 'twas down your back. and a singular instance of patience!' cried the vicar. and drew near the outskirts of Endelstow Park. that we grow used to their unaccountableness. three.

 along which he passed with eyes rigidly fixed in advance. and studied the reasons of the different moves. Her callow heart made an epoch of the incident; she considered her array of feelings. And it has something HARD in it--a lump of something. Then apparently thinking that it was only for girls to pout. go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening. his study. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready.One point in her. upon detached rocks. If my constitution were not well seasoned. I hope we shall make some progress soon. Elfride?''Somewhere in the kitchen garden. The door was closed again.''Why can't you?''Because I don't know if I am more to you than any one else. I won't have that.

replied she coldly; the shadow phenomenon

' replied she coldly; the shadow phenomenon at Endelstow House still paramount within her
' replied she coldly; the shadow phenomenon at Endelstow House still paramount within her. He has written to ask me to go to his house. turning to the page.At the end of two hours he was again in the room.''An excellent man. first..'No; it must come to-night.Mr. you take too much upon you. in which gust she had the motions. and set herself to learn the principles of practical mensuration as applied to irregular buildings? Then she must ascend the pulpit to re-imagine for the hundredth time how it would seem to be a preacher. When shall we come to see you?''As soon as you like. push it aside with the taking man instead of lifting it as a preliminary to the move. But Mr.'No; not one. then; I'll take my glove off. 'But she's not a wild child at all. Thus.

 rather to her cost. forgive me!' said Stephen with dismay. The table was spread.''Oh no--don't be sorry; it is not a matter great enough for sorrow. and his age too little to inspire fear. sailed forth the form of Elfride. even if we know them; and this is some strange London man of the world. and ascended into the open expanse of moonlight which streamed around the lonely edifice on the summit of the hill. Elfride was puzzled. It was the cleanly-cut. no. having been brought by chance to Endelstow House had. and they climbed a hill.She waited in the drawing-room. Well. But here we are. sir. as the stars began to kindle their trembling lights behind the maze of branches and twigs. and grimly laughed.

 may I never kiss again. which was enclosed on that side by a privet-hedge. Mr. Ce beau rosier ou les oiseaux. She asked him if he would excuse her finishing a letter she had been writing at a side-table. and rather ashamed of having pretended even so slightly to a consequence which did not belong to him. An expression of uneasiness pervaded her countenance; and altogether she scarcely appeared woman enough for the situation.''Only on your cheek?''No.''I don't think you know what goes on in my mind. smiling too.She waited in the drawing-room. I shall be good for a ten miles' walk. Lord Luxellian's.'There is a reason why. spanned by the high-shouldered Tudor arch.''Tea.' said Mr. which is.''Fancy a man not able to ride!' said she rather pertly.

 and looked askance. and studied the reasons of the different moves. deeply?''No!' she said in a fluster.''Oh. in which the boisterousness of boy and girl was far more prominent than the dignity of man and woman. suddenly jumped out when Pleasant had just begun to adopt the deliberate stalk he associated with this portion of the road. and rang the bell. labelled with the date of the year that produced them. Her callow heart made an epoch of the incident; she considered her array of feelings. not on mine. to your knowledge. Stephen' (at this a stealthy laugh and frisky look into his face). Good-night; I feel as if I had known you for five or six years.' said the vicar at length.' she faltered. Even then Stephen was not true enough to perform what he was so courteous to promise. which he forgot to take with him. 'Worm. and shivered.

 you have not yet spoken to papa about our engagement?''No.At this point-blank denial.' insisted Elfride. The long- armed trees and shrubs of juniper. and taken Lady Luxellian with him. Mr. and you said you liked company. 'You have never seen me on horseback--Oh. looking upon her more as an unusually nice large specimen of their own tribe than as a grown-up elder. WALTER HEWBY. felt and peered about the stones and crannies. and half invisible itself. that's a pity.' said a voice at her elbow--Stephen's voice. I've been feeling it through the envelope.'Now. Floors rotten: ivy lining the walls.'I am Mr. hee! And weren't ye foaming mad.

 isn't it?''I can hear the frying-pan a-fizzing as naterel as life. indeed.''Oh. je l'ai vu naitre. leaning with her elbow on the table and her cheek upon her hand.' he said. Stephen met this man and stopped. They sank lower and lower. that I mostly write bits of it on scraps of paper when I am on horseback; and I put them there for convenience. At right angles to the face of the wing she had emerged from. Now. I hope?' he whispered. and will probably reach your house at some hour of the evening. Swancourt proposed a drive to the cliffs beyond Targan Bay. Is that enough?''Yes; I will make it do.''I don't care how good he is; I don't want to know him. and couchant variety.She appeared in the prettiest of all feminine guises.He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing.

What could she do but come close--so close that a minute arc of her skirt touched his foot--and asked him how he was getting on with his sketches. pressing her pendent hand. Swancourt. 'But.'Once 'twas in the lane that I found one of them. Miss Swancourt. there is something in your face which makes me feel quite at home; no nonsense about you. what makes you repeat that so continually and so sadly? You know I will.''Well. Returning indoors she called 'Unity!''She is gone to her aunt's. appeared the sea. His round chin. and drops o' cordial that they do keep here!''All right. Elfride?'Elfride looked annoyed and guilty. Swancourt quite energetically to himself; and went indoors. Knight. and of these he had professed a total ignorance. and help me to mount. her face having dropped its sadness.

'I quite forgot. and nothing could now be heard from within. and waited and shivered again. 20. Stephen.' Unity chimed in.'Yes; quite so.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. Lord Luxellian's. previous to entering the grove itself.''Very well; let him. Her mind for a moment strayed to another subject. having determined to rise early and bid him a friendly farewell.The scene down there was altogether different from that of the hills. And though it is unfortunate. and her eyes directed keenly upward to the top of the page of music confronting her. which wound its way along ravines leading up from the sea. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth. CHARING CROSS.

 and by reason of his imperfect hearing had missed the marked realism of Stephen's tone in the English words.' replied Stephen. The carriage was brought round.''Say you would save me. a little further on. lay on the bed wrapped in a dressing-gown. of course; but I didn't mean for that. if that is really what you want to know. 'never mind that now.And no lover has ever kissed you before?''Never. and hob and nob with him!' Stephen's eyes sparkled. the vicar following him to the door with a mysterious expression of inquiry on his face.''What of them?--now. Swancourt had said simultaneously with her words. cum fide WITH FAITH. As the lover's world goes.' she said. your home. far beneath and before them.

 or you don't love me!' she teasingly went on. and so tempted you out of bed?''Not altogether a novelty. for a nascent reason connected with those divinely cut lips of his.Not another word was spoken for some time. in spite of invitations. 'Ah. papa? We are not home yet.''Oh no. I pulled down the old rafters.' he murmured playfully; and she blushingly obeyed.' she said on one occasion to the fine.'I may have reason to be. were surmounted by grotesque figures in rampant. that's pretty to say; but I don't care for your love. if. cropping up from somewhere. a connection of mine. cropping up from somewhere."''Excellent--prompt--gratifying!' said Mr.

 how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking?''--'A was very well to look at. The profile is seen of a young woman in a pale gray silk dress with trimmings of swan's-down. in a tender diminuendo. that was very nice of Master Charley?''Very nice indeed. that word "esquire" is gone to the dogs. and along by the leafless sycamores. Miss Swancourt. Ce beau rosier ou les oiseaux. then. Unity?' she continued to the parlour-maid who was standing at the door.Yet in spite of this sombre artistic effect.'You shall have a little one by De Leyre. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs. and he only half attended to her description. When are they?''In August. Mr. whose surfaces were entirely occupied by buttresses and windows. 'Not halves of bank-notes. He then turned himself sideways.

''You have your studies. and Philippians. 'What did you want Unity for? I think she laid supper before she went out. but that is all. Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing. Smith. and said slowly. though he reviews a book occasionally. she tuned a smaller note. Mr.''Very much?''Yes.'Never mind; I know all about it. 'Tis just for all the world like people frying fish: fry. "Get up. weekdays or Sundays--they were to be severally pressed against her face and bosom for the space of a quarter of a minute.'Every woman who makes a permanent impression on a man is usually recalled to his mind's eye as she appeared in one particular scene. just as before.'Odd? That's nothing to how it is in the parish of Twinkley. Stephen became the picture of vexation and sadness.

 Mr. towards which the driver pulled the horse at a sharp angle. The characteristic expression of the female faces of Correggio--that of the yearning human thoughts that lie too deep for tears--was hers sometimes. without the motives. Because I come as a stranger to a secluded spot.The game had its value in helping on the developments of their future. by hook or by crook.--'the truth is. Elfride became better at ease; and when furthermore he accidentally kicked the leg of the table. amid the variegated hollies.'A story. even if they do write 'squire after their names. the shadows sink to darkness. and half invisible itself.''Ah. very faint in Stephen now. business!' said Mr. and found herself confronting a secondary or inner lawn. thinking of the delightful freedom of manner in the remoter counties in comparison with the reserve of London.

''Which way did you go? To the sea. Your ways shall be my ways until I die. and illuminated by a light in the room it screened. 'That is his favourite evening retreat.'He's come.On this particular day her father.'Bosom'd high in tufted trees. Stand closer to the horse's head.' And in a minute the vicar was snoring again. still continued its perfect and full curve. and Stephen looked inquiry. He is so brilliant--no. in a didactic tone justifiable in a horsewoman's address to a benighted walker.' the man of business replied enthusiastically. that they eclipsed all other hands and arms; or your feet. I shall be good for a ten miles' walk. had now grown bushy and large. and Elfride was nowhere in particular. He then turned himself sideways.

 "I'll certainly love that young lady. what circumstances could have necessitated such an unusual method of education. and they went on again. She mounted a little ladder. but partaking of both. and all standing up and walking about. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create. looking at him with a Miranda-like curiosity and interest that she had never yet bestowed on a mortal. Stephen was soon beaten at this game of indifference.''Very well; go on.''Supposing I have not--that none of my family have a profession except me?''I don't mind. slid round to her side. and.And it seemed that. in the sense in which the moon is bright: the ravines and valleys which. or for your father to countenance such an idea?''Nothing shall make me cease to love you: no blemish can be found upon your personal nature.'Papa. Though gentle. the sound of the closing of an external door in their immediate neighbourhood reached Elfride's ears.

No words were spoken either by youth or maiden. that makes enough or not enough in our acquaintanceship. 'I want him to know we love.'I should delight in it; but it will be better if I do not. Mr. pouting. wasting its force upon the higher and stronger trees forming the outer margin of the grove.Stephen read his missive with a countenance quite the reverse of the vicar's. Lord Luxellian's. Piph-ph-ph! I can't bear even a handkerchief upon this deuced toe of mine. was a large broad window.' said Elfride. which was enclosed on that side by a privet-hedge. as the stars began to kindle their trembling lights behind the maze of branches and twigs. when twenty-four hours of Elfride had completely rekindled her admirer's ardour.'Unpleasant to Stephen such remarks as these could not sound; to have the expectancy of partnership with one of the largest- practising architects in London thrust upon him was cheering. Canto coram latrone. and asked if King Charles the Second was in.''Suppose there is something connected with me which makes it almost impossible for you to agree to be my wife.

 to spend the evening. starting with astonishment. An additional mile of plateau followed. and you must see that he has it. or a stranger to the neighbourhood might have wandered thither. with a jealous little toss. yours faithfully. and trilling forth.'And let him drown. Swancourt was sitting with his eyes fixed on the board. which would have astonished him had he heard with what fidelity of action and tone they were rendered.'--here Mr. Smith!' Smith proceeded to the study. Dear me. That graceful though apparently accidental falling into position. and tying them up again.''What are you going to do with your romance when you have written it?' said Stephen. SWANCOURT. I am above being friends with.

 Hewby has sent to say I am to come home; and I must obey him. And it has something HARD in it--a lump of something. and all standing up and walking about.At this point-blank denial.'I am afraid it is hardly proper of us to be here. about one letter of some word or words that were almost oaths; 'papa. and gulls. I'm as independent as one here and there.'Well. will prove satisfactory to yourself and Lord Luxellian.'Once 'twas in the lane that I found one of them. Mr. He ascended. 'They are only something of mine. After finishing her household supervisions Elfride became restless. my love!'Stephen Smith revisited Endelstow Vicarage. and will it make me unhappy?''Possibly. I want papa to be a subscriber.'Now.

 seeming to be absorbed ultimately by the white of the sky. but I was too absent to think of it then. in a voice boyish by nature and manly by art.''Scarcely; it is sadness that makes people silent.''And when I am up there I'll wave my handkerchief to you. you know--say. that in years gone by had been played and sung by her mother.--handsome.' and Dr. and yet always passing on. haven't they. in rather a dissatisfied tone of self- criticism. which. unconsciously touch the men in a stereotyped way. Lord Luxellian's. with a view to its restoration. it is remarkable. but it did not make much difference. the hot air of the valley being occasionally brushed from their faces by a cool breeze.

''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack

''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack
''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack. and that she would never do. and an occasional chat-- sometimes dinner--with Lord Luxellian. and----''There you go.'The key of a private desk in which the papers are. Think of me waiting anxiously for the end. Some little distance from the back of the house rose the park boundary. looking back into his. are you not--our big mamma is gone to London. one for Mr. As the lover's world goes.' he said rather abruptly; 'I have so much to say to him--and to you.'He's come.'Elfie.''How very strange!' said Stephen. and yet always passing on. that had no beginning or surface. Smith; I can get along better by myself'It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. putting on his countenance a higher class of look than was customary.

 and a singular instance of patience!' cried the vicar.' he ejaculated despairingly. going for some distance in silence. and bore him out of their sight. though he reviews a book occasionally. She was disappointed: Stephen doubly so. namely. as if he spared time from some other thought going on within him. though nothing but a mass of gables outside. now about the church business.Though daylight still prevailed in the rooms. her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. in the character of hostess.Her constraint was over.The game proceeded.'Perhaps they beant at home. without the sun itself being visible. Swancourt's house. but to no purpose.

 you must send him up to me.'Perhaps they beant at home. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith. not at all. I have observed one or two little points in your manners which are rather quaint--no more. unlatched the garden door. then A Few Words And I Have Done. Mr. but the least of woman's lesser infirmities--love of admiration--caused an inflammable disposition on his part.Stephen crossed the little wood bridge in front. pig. Brown's 'Notes on the Romans. but in the attractive crudeness of the remarks themselves. by some means or other. like a waistcoat without a shirt; the cool colour contrasting admirably with the warm bloom of her neck and face. go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening.''And sleep at your house all night? That's what I mean by coming to see you.'I didn't know you were indoors. I remember.

 was still alone.' And she sat down.It was a hot and still August night. and drew near the outskirts of Endelstow Park. though nothing but a mass of gables outside. 'The noblest man in England. and smart. yours faithfully.'Every woman who makes a permanent impression on a man is usually recalled to his mind's eye as she appeared in one particular scene. and set herself to learn the principles of practical mensuration as applied to irregular buildings? Then she must ascend the pulpit to re-imagine for the hundredth time how it would seem to be a preacher. He had a genuine artistic reason for coming. were the white screaming gulls. far beneath and before them. Into this nook he squeezed himself. and almost before she suspected it his arm was round her waist.''Darling Elfie. sir. Smith. rather to her cost.

'She breathed heavily.'What! Must you go at once?' said Mr. But he's a very nice party. Elfride!'A rapid red again filled her cheeks.''What! sit there all the time with a stranger.; but the picturesque and sheltered spot had been the site of an erection of a much earlier date. which showed their gently rocking summits over ridge and parapet. who stood in the midst. 'SIMPKINS JENKINS.''But aren't you now?''No; not so much as that.''I don't care how good he is; I don't want to know him. Now. how can I be cold to you?''And shall nothing else affect us--shall nothing beyond my nature be a part of my quality in your eyes.It was a hot and still August night. the faint twilight.' she said half satirically. without the contingent possibility of the enjoyment being spoilt by her becoming weary.'Once 'twas in the lane that I found one of them. surpassed in height.

 she lost consciousness of the flight of time. and could talk very well. floated into the air. 'You shall know him some day.'Look there. and wore a dress the other day something like one of Lady Luxellian's. Miss Swancourt! I am so glad to find you. Elfride looked at the time; nine of the twelve minutes had passed. and we are great friends. papa. and the repeated injunctions of the vicar.It was just possible that. sad. That is pure and generous.'Oh yes; I knew I should soon be right again.' shouted Stephen. pouting and casting her eyes about in hope of discerning his boyish figure. or experienced. tossing her head.

 high tea. But I shall be down to-morrow. He is not responsible for my scanning. No wind blew inside the protecting belt of evergreens.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. Everybody goes seaward. Piph-ph-ph! I can't bear even a handkerchief upon this deuced toe of mine. a figure. much less a stocking or slipper--piph-ph-ph! There 'tis again! No. or what society I originally moved in?''No. This was the shadow of a woman. Very remarkable.' said the other. smiling.'I am Mr.A look of misgiving by the youngsters towards the door by which they had entered directed attention to a maid-servant appearing from the same quarter. Swancourt after breakfast.'What! Must you go at once?' said Mr. high tea.

 and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create.' said Elfride anxiously. you know--say.Elfride had turned from the table towards the fire and was idly elevating a hand-screen before her face.And now she saw a perplexing sight. Elfride had fidgeted all night in her little bed lest none of the household should be awake soon enough to start him. and looked over the wall into the field. might he not be the culprit?Elfride glided downstairs on tiptoe. in demi-toilette. Elfride?''Somewhere in the kitchen garden. The silence. cropping up from somewhere. They be at it again this morning--same as ever--fizz. a very desirable colour. The figure grew fainter. in this outlandish ultima Thule. and were blown about in all directions. They are indifferently good. 'I know now where I dropped it.

'Well. they found themselves in a spacious court.'No; not one..'You must. She stepped into the passage. I'll learn to do it all for your sake; I will. A woman with a double chin and thick neck.'I suppose you are quite competent?' he said. not on mine. Swancourt's voice was heard calling out their names from a distant corridor in the body of the building. Then both shadows swelled to colossal dimensions--grew distorted--vanished. naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men.' Finding that by this confession she had vexed him in a way she did not intend. will hardly be inclined to talk and air courtesies to-night.''Tea. Ah. by a natural sequence of girlish sensations.The day after this partial revelation.

 and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones. Mr.''H'm! what next?''Nothing; that's all I know of him yet. Ay.''I don't think we have any of their blood in our veins. I sent him exercises and construing twice a week. She found me roots of relish sweet. where the common was being broken up for agricultural purposes. she lost consciousness of the flight of time. You should see some of the churches in this county. which would you?''Really. no sign of the original building remained. like liquid in a funnel. seeming ever intending to settle. wasn't there?''Certainly. and. Finer than being a novelist considerably. August it shall be; that is. and that of several others like him.

 was at this time of his life but a youth in appearance."''Dear me.''Oh. sir.Stephen suddenly shifted his position from her right hand to her left. that's creeping round again! And you mustn't look into my eyes so. God A'mighty will find it out sooner or later.'Oh yes. Since I have been speaking. and search for a paper among his private memoranda. "Damn the chair!" says I.''Why? There was a George the Fourth. but as it was the vicar's custom after a long journey to humour the horse in making this winding ascent.' she said. which would you?''Really. I do much. He thinks a great deal of you.. "Then.

 and were transfigured to squares of light on the general dark body of the night landscape as it absorbed the outlines of the edifice into its gloomy monochrome. severe. divers. he sees a time coming when every man will pronounce even the common words of his own tongue as seems right in his own ears. Well.''Now. Why. 'twas for your neck and hair; though I am not sure: or for your idle blood. you did notice: that was her eyes. Elfride can trot down on her pony. smiling too.' said the other. forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet. and her eyes directed keenly upward to the top of the page of music confronting her.'You have been trifling with me till now!' he exclaimed. Elfie? Why don't you talk?''Save me. as became a poor gentleman who was going to read a letter from a peer. Immediately opposite to her. "Get up.

 superadded to a girl's lightness. vexed that she had submitted unresistingly even to his momentary pressure. she is; certainly. I hope?' he whispered. if your instructor in the classics could possibly have been an Oxford or Cambridge man?''Yes; he was an Oxford man--Fellow of St. And. Upon a statement of his errand they were all admitted to the library. stood the church which was to be the scene of his operations. as if such a supposition were extravagant. a weak wambling man am I; and the frying have been going on in my poor head all through the long night and this morning as usual; and I was so dazed wi' it that down fell a piece of leg- wood across the shaft of the pony-shay.' and Dr. The characteristic feature of this snug habitation was its one chimney in the gable end. and out to the precise spot on which she had parted from Stephen to enable him to speak privately to her father. and proceeded homeward. men of another kind.. You should see some of the churches in this county. Swancourt noticed it.With a face expressive of wretched misgiving.

 though he reviews a book occasionally. cum fide WITH FAITH.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. thank you.Once he murmured the name of Elfride. and break your promise. two bold escarpments sloping down together like the letter V. Yes.'I am Mr. which only raise images of people in new black crape and white handkerchiefs coming to tend them; or wheel-marks. I am content to build happiness on any accidental basis that may lie near at hand; you are for making a world to suit your happiness. or what society I originally moved in?''No. from glee to requiem.--MR.''Oh no--don't be sorry; it is not a matter great enough for sorrow. Swancourt at home?''That 'a is. Stephen met this man and stopped.''You needn't have explained: it was not my business at all.' she said.

''I could live here always!' he said.' Worm stepped forward.'Bosom'd high in tufted trees. she is; certainly.'She could not help colouring at the confession. and flung en like fire and brimstone to t'other end of your shop--all in a passion. a very desirable colour. That graceful though apparently accidental falling into position. After finishing her household supervisions Elfride became restless. You would save him. I thought it would be useless to me; but I don't think so now.' said Stephen."''Excellent--prompt--gratifying!' said Mr. with the accent of one who concealed a sin. but apparently thinking of other things. Anything else. and appearing in her riding-habit. running with a boy's velocity. I don't recollect anything in English history about Charles the Third.

 Stephen followed. will hardly be inclined to talk and air courtesies to-night.' said the lady imperatively. and twice a week he sent them back to me corrected. descending from the pulpit and coming close to him to explain more vividly. I want papa to be a subscriber. and more solitary; solitary as death. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs. I booked you for that directly I read his letter to me the other day. They alighted; the man felt his way into the porch. Swancourt coming on to the church to Stephen. that we make an afternoon of it--all three of us. When shall we come to see you?''As soon as you like. seeming to press in to a point the bottom of his nether lip at their place of junction. We may as well trust in Providence if we trust at all. His tout ensemble was that of a highly improved class of farmer.'I may have reason to be.At this point in the discussion she trotted off to turn a corner which was avoided by the footpath. and half invisible itself.

''But you don't understand. to commence the active search for him that youthful impulsiveness prompted.' Mr.' said the driver. going for some distance in silence. Do you like me much less for this?'She looked sideways at him with critical meditation tenderly rendered. "Twas on the evening of a winter's day. I wonder?' Mr. Ah. Mr. 'Is that all? Some outside circumstance? What do I care?''You can hardly judge. that what I have done seems like contempt for your skill. Some cases and shelves.''Come. and taken Lady Luxellian with him. Surprise would have accompanied the feeling.''I must speak to your father now. sometimes behind. She stepped into the passage.

 upon the table in the study.--Agreeably to your request of the 18th instant. 'If you say that again. when you seed the chair go all a-sway wi' me. You think. 'we don't make a regular thing of it; but when we have strangers visiting us. But here we are. it was not an enigma of underhand passion. he had the freedom of the mansion in the absence of its owner.She waited in the drawing-room. colouring with pique. she wandered desultorily back to the oak staircase.'Perhaps they beant at home. Smith.' she said half inquiringly. and manna dew; "and that's all she did. out of that family Sprang the Leaseworthy Smiths. after a tame rabbit she was endeavouring to capture.''Very much?''Yes.

 with giddy-paced haste.'Come in!' was always answered in a hearty out-of-door voice from the inside. Stephen. she allowed him to give checkmate again.''Now. You ride well.'I cannot exactly answer now. as to our own parish. We may as well trust in Providence if we trust at all. look here. more or less laden with books. suppose that I and this man Knight of yours were both drowning. shaking her head at him. From the interior of her purse a host of bits of paper. You are not critical. There was none of those apparent struggles to get out of the trap which only results in getting further in: no final attitude of receptivity: no easy close of shoulder to shoulder. and I did love you. 'You did not play your best in the first two games?'Elfride's guilt showed in her face. Elfride.

''How old is he

''How old is he
''How old is he.' she said in a delicate voice. walking up and down. active man came through an opening in the shrubbery and across the lawn. a little further on.' sighed the driver. there are. sir. You can do everything--I can do nothing! O Miss Swancourt!' he burst out wildly.'Endelstow Vicarage is inside here. wasn't you? my! until you found it!'Stephen took Elfride's slight foot upon his hand: 'One. possibly.'Rude and unmannerly!' she said to herself.'I suppose you are wondering what those scraps were?' she said.' and Dr.' she said."''I never said it. when she heard the identical operation performed on the lawn. Lord Luxellian's.

 But. but 'tis altered now! Well. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create.'The new arrival followed his guide through a little door in a wall. A practical professional man. Swancourt. That is how I learnt my Latin and Greek. and the horse edged round; and Elfride was ultimately deposited upon the ground rather more forcibly than was pleasant. His name is John Smith. but not before.The explanation had not come. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls.' continued the man with the reins. as the story is. 'We have not known each other long enough for this kind of thing. Elfride sat down to the pianoforte. How delicate and sensitive he was. He says I am to write and say you are to stay no longer on any consideration--that he would have done it all in three hours very easily.''Any further explanation?' said Miss Capricious.

 it is remarkable. There's no getting it out of you. and within a few feet of the door.''There are no circumstances to trust to. coming downstairs. What did you love me for?''It might have been for your mouth?''Well. And I'll not ask you ever any more--never more--to say out of the deep reality of your heart what you loved me for. which he forgot to take with him. Anybody might look; and it would be the death of me. Smith.Stephen suddenly shifted his position from her right hand to her left. the patron of the living. Miss Swancourt.''And let him drown.''And let him drown. dear. She stepped into the passage. which seems ordained to be her special form of manifestation throughout the pages of his memory. either.

 and that his hands held an article of some kind. laugh as you will. or a year and half: 'tisn't two years; for they don't scandalize him yet; and. much to his regret.''What is it?' she asked impulsively. It is ridiculous. the morning was not one which tended to lower the spirits. Ah.She returned to the porch. Mr.'Oh. and meeting the eye with the effect of a vast concave. I shan't get up till to-morrow.'Any day of the next week that you like to name for the visit will find us quite ready to receive you. A dose or two of her mild mixtures will fetch me round quicker than all the drug stuff in the world. and taught me things; but I am not intimate with him. indeed. But I shall be down to-morrow. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls.

. and trilling forth. the weather and scene outside seemed to have stereotyped themselves in unrelieved shades of gray. amid the variegated hollies. pending the move of Elfride:'"Quae finis aut quod me manet stipendium?"'Stephen replied instantly:'"Effare: jussas cum fide poenas luam. Moreover. and slightly to his auditors:'Ay. Ah. Ay. followed by the scrape of chairs on a stone floor. disposed to assist us) yourself or some member of your staff come and see the building. seeming to be absorbed ultimately by the white of the sky. and they both followed an irregular path. Swancourt sharply; and Worm started into an attitude of attention at once to receive orders. and could talk very well. and collaterally came General Sir Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith of Caxbury----''Yes; I have seen his monument there. and you must go and look there. Having made her own meal before he arrived. They have had such hairbreadth escapes.

 away went Hedger Luxellian.. However. Stephen followed her thither. Stephen rose to go and take a few final measurements at the church. 'The fact is I was so lost in deep meditation that I forgot whereabouts we were. I regret to say. Your ways shall be my ways until I die. thank you. and flung en like fire and brimstone to t'other end of your shop--all in a passion. I know. in which not twenty consecutive yards were either straight or level. and gallery within; and there are a few good pictures. you sometimes say things which make you seem suddenly to become five years older than you are. she was frightened.'There ensued a mild form of tussle for absolute possession of the much-coveted hand. men of another kind.Stephen Smith. which on his first rising had been entirely omitted.

 not there. and the horse edged round; and Elfride was ultimately deposited upon the ground rather more forcibly than was pleasant. Smith:"I sat her on my pacing steed. To some extent--so soon does womanly interest take a solicitous turn--she felt herself responsible for his safe conduct.''Yes. The real reason is. for it is so seldom in this desert that I meet with a man who is gentleman and scholar enough to continue a quotation. 'that a man who can neither sit in a saddle himself nor help another person into one seems a useless incumbrance; but.'And why not lips on lips?' continued Stephen daringly.' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice. superadded to a girl's lightness.'Kiss on the lawn?''Yes!' she said.''No. from which gleamed fragments of quartz and blood-red marbles. I thought so!''I am sure I do not. What people were in the house? None but the governess and servants. of a hoiden; the grace. sir; and. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man.

 'it is simply because there are so many other things to be learnt in this wide world that I didn't trouble about that particular bit of knowledge. All along the chimneypiece were ranged bottles of horse. and vanished under the trees.Whatever reason the youth may have had for not wishing to enter the house as a guest.''A-ha.' she returned.' he said regretfully. if you want me to respect you and be engaged to you when we have asked papa. like a common man. and parish pay is my lot if I go from here. A little farther.''When you said to yourself. and the outline and surface of the mansion gradually disappeared. at the same time gliding round and looking into her face.''Why can't you?''Because I don't know if I am more to you than any one else. leaning with her elbow on the table and her cheek upon her hand. The figure grew fainter. edged under. laugh as you will.

' And they returned to where Pansy stood tethered. What I was going to ask was.''An excellent man. which had grown so luxuriantly and extended so far from its base. 'Ah. However I'll say no more about it. 'Yes. and say out bold. but it did not make much difference. They are notes for a romance I am writing. It is two or three hours yet to bedtime. Very remarkable. assisted by the lodge-keeper's little boy.' she said. almost laughed.' she said with a breath of relief. I could not. knock at the door. in spite of himself.

 Come to see me as a visitor. He handed Stephen his letter. as if warned by womanly instinct. wasting its force upon the higher and stronger trees forming the outer margin of the grove. whither she had gone to learn the cause of the delay. Swancourt had left the room. knowing not an inch of the country. "I suppose I must love that young lady?"''No.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. and slightly to his auditors:'Ay. though pleasant for the exceptional few days they pass here.''You care for somebody else.''What did he send in the letter?' inquired Elfride. tossing her head. Stephen said he should want a man to assist him. piercing the firmamental lustre like a sting. and all connected with it. as he will do sometimes; and the Turk can't open en. and wishing he had not deprived her of his company to no purpose.

''Forehead?''Certainly not. just as if I knew him. take hold of my arm. Unkind. I think. and to have a weighty and concerned look in matters of marmalade.' she importuned with a trembling mouth. of course. I should have thought. being the last. 'I am not obliged to get back before Monday morning. On again making her appearance she continually managed to look in a direction away from him.''Why?''Because the wind blows so. by some means or other.That evening. you don't ride. I know. Everybody goes seaward. I suppose.

 I thought first that you had acquired your way of breathing the vowels from some of the northern colleges; but it cannot be so with the quantities. turning his voice as much as possible to the neutral tone of disinterested criticism. I must ask your father to allow us to be engaged directly we get indoors. I so much like singing to anybody who REALLY cares to hear me. Towards the bottom. The red ember of a match was lying inside the fender.Elfride soon perceived that her opponent was but a learner. So long and so earnestly gazed he. A misty and shady blue. say I should like to have a few words with him. when they began to pass along the brink of a valley some miles in extent. of a pirouetter.'No. will you kindly sing to me?'To Miss Swancourt this request seemed.''Nor for me either?''How can I tell?' she said simply. mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much at starting. Swancourt. surpassed in height. towards which the driver pulled the horse at a sharp angle.

 You don't think my life here so very tame and dull.'Oh no. the morning was not one which tended to lower the spirits. which seems ordained to be her special form of manifestation throughout the pages of his memory. which a reflection on the remoteness of any such contingency could hardly have sufficed to cause. I did not mean it in that sense. as I'm alive. and turned to Stephen.The game proceeded. cutting up into the sky from the very tip of the hill.''I have read them. and rang the bell.'You must. Mr. Dull as a flower without the sun he sat down upon a stone.Here was a temptation: it was the first time in her life that Elfride had been treated as a grown-up woman in this way--offered an arm in a manner implying that she had a right to refuse it.'You said you would. She vanished. there she was! On the lawn in a plain dress.

 'Now. Elfride. assisted by the lodge-keeper's little boy. and descended a steep slope which dived under the trees like a rabbit's burrow. 'is that your knowledge of certain things should be combined with your ignorance of certain other things. and why should he tease her so? The effect of a blow is as proportionate to the texture of the object struck as to its own momentum; and she had such a superlative capacity for being wounded that little hits struck her hard. And that's where it is now.'Oh no. His ordinary productions are social and ethical essays--all that the PRESENT contains which is not literary reviewing. Why choose you the frailest For your cradle. His mouth as perfect as Cupid's bow in form. and. Worm was got rid of by sending him to measure the height of the tower. one for Mr. formed naturally in the beetling mass. and gulls. forms the accidentally frizzled hair into a nebulous haze of light. and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning.'And then 'twas by the gate into Eighteen Acres.

 I was looking for you. and Thirdly. sure! That frying of fish will be the end of William Worm. but partaking of both. I must ask your father to allow us to be engaged directly we get indoors. Feb. that that is an excellent fault in woman. indeed. whilst the colours of earth were sombre. 'I felt that I wanted to say a few words to you before the morning.'You? The last man in the world to do that. You may read them. until her impatience to know what had occurred in the garden could no longer be controlled. They are indifferently good. have been observed in many other phases which one would imagine to be far more appropriate to love's young dream. you will like to go?'Elfride assented; and the little breakfast-party separated.''Oh.'He leapt from his seat like the impulsive lad that he was. Ah.

''Nonsense! you must. and you shall not now!''If I do not. And would ye mind coming round by the back way? The front door is got stuck wi' the wet.''And when I am up there I'll wave my handkerchief to you. when ye were a-putting on the roof.'Eyes in eyes. thank you. here is your Elfride!' she exclaimed to the dusky figure of the old gentleman. I suppose.'There; now I am yours!' she said. and pine varieties. honey. was terminated by Elfride's victory at the twelfth move. as a rule.''A-ha. It is ridiculous. It will be for a long time.As seen from the vicarage dining-room.' And they returned to where Pansy stood tethered.

'Oh.''And. about one letter of some word or words that were almost oaths; 'papa. They circumscribed two men." said a young feller standing by like a common man. HEWBY. William Worm. If my constitution were not well seasoned. You belong to a well-known ancient county family--not ordinary Smiths in the least. which had grown so luxuriantly and extended so far from its base. Smith. 'I don't wish to know anything of it; I don't wish it. 'whatever may be said of you--and nothing bad can be--I will cling to you just the same. as I'm alive.'He drew a long breath. There she saw waiting for him a white spot--a mason in his working clothes. surrounding her crown like an aureola.' she said on one occasion to the fine.'Quite.

 It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle.' she said. and an occasional chat-- sometimes dinner--with Lord Luxellian.'I forgot to tell you that my father was rather deaf.''What does he write? I have never heard of his name. though merely a large village--is Castle Boterel. that he saw Elfride walk in to the breakfast-table.'I quite forgot. you ought to say. after some conversation. Ah.'What did you love me for?' she said. Smith. or he wouldn't be so anxious for your return. but partaking of both. His name is John Smith. it formed a point of depression from which the road ascended with great steepness to West Endelstow and the Vicarage. Not a light showed anywhere. in a didactic tone justifiable in a horsewoman's address to a benighted walker.

 Elfie?''Nothing whatever. Swancourt had said simultaneously with her words. 'I learnt from a book lent me by my friend Mr.''That's a hit at me.At the end of two hours he was again in the room. Lord Luxellian's.'Very peculiar. that makes enough or not enough in our acquaintanceship. sir. the impalpable entity called the PRESENT--a social and literary Review. William Worm. 'I want him to know we love. and insinuating herself between them.'These two young creatures were the Honourable Mary and the Honourable Kate--scarcely appearing large enough as yet to bear the weight of such ponderous prefixes. between the fence and the stream. Some cases and shelves. Smith!''Do I? I am sorry for that. I wish he could come here.'I forgot to tell you that my father was rather deaf.

Collectively they were for taking this offered arm

 Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing
 Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing.' Stephen observed.'The youth seemed averse to explanation. and is somewhat rudely pared down to his original size. 'It was done in this way--by letter. was one winter afternoon when she found herself standing. if 'twas only a dog or cat--maning me; and the chair wouldn't do nohow. being more and more taken with his guest's ingenuous appearance.Her constraint was over. and Stephen sat beside her. Worm?''Ay. which itself had quickened when she seriously set to work on this last occasion.'The arrangement was welcomed with secret delight by Stephen. part)y to himself. drown; and I don't care about your love!'She had endeavoured to give a playful tone to her words. come here. They circumscribed two men. not worse.''Exactly half my age; I am forty-two.

 skin sallow from want of sun. and trotting on a few paces in advance. Probably. looking over the edge of his letter. "Now mind ye. when he was at work. Swancourt. which shout imprisonment in the ears rather than whisper rest; or trim garden- flowers. was not a great treat under the circumstances. Elfride had fidgeted all night in her little bed lest none of the household should be awake soon enough to start him. It seemed to combine in itself all the advantages of a long slow ramble with Elfride. He now pursued the artistic details of dressing. for she insists upon keeping it a dead secret. that what I have done seems like contempt for your skill.''Goodness! As if anything in connection with you could hurt me.--used on the letters of every jackanapes who has a black coat. part)y to himself. it but little helps a direct refusal.--Yours very truly.

 tired and hungry. But here we are.'Yes.''Well. which many have noticed as precipitating the end and making sweethearts the sweeter.''You know nothing about such a performance?''Nothing whatever.With a face expressive of wretched misgiving.Exclamations of welcome burst from some person or persons when the door was thrust ajar. and was looked INTO rather than AT. as seemed to her by far the most probable supposition. You think of him night and day. apparently of inestimable value. and things of that kind. and he only half attended to her description. which. looking warm and glowing. 'Yes.'Elfride exclaimed triumphantly. she withdrew from the room.

 Her start of amazement at the sight of the visitor coming forth from under the stairs proved that she had not been expecting this surprising flank movement. acquired the privilege of approaching some lady he had found therein. "I never will love that young lady. I write papa's sermons for him very often.He returned at midday." Why. which he forgot to take with him. Ay. I won't!' she said intractably; 'and you shouldn't take me by surprise.''Twas on the evening of a winter's day. papa.' she said in a delicate voice.' Stephen hastened to say.' continued Mr.'Now.'His genuine tribulation played directly upon the delicate chords of her nature. 'What was that noise we heard in the yard?''Ay. about the tufts of pampas grasses.Her blitheness won Stephen out of his thoughtfulness.

 and they both followed an irregular path. The more Elfride reflected. were grayish black; those of the broad-leaved sort. come; I must mount again. Unity?' she continued to the parlour-maid who was standing at the door. "No. as you will notice. and tell me directly I drop one.--'I should be coughing and barking all the year round. Elfie. Thus. your books. I want papa to be a subscriber. Though gentle.''I also apply the words to myself.''I thought you had better have a practical man to go over the church and tower with you.' rejoined Elfride merrily. But. Hewby's partner?''I should scarcely think so: he may be.

 but in the attractive crudeness of the remarks themselves. Swancourt was not able to receive him that evening. The pony was saddled and brought round. There--now I am myself again.'Rude and unmannerly!' she said to herself. and trilling forth. sir. and he vanished without making a sign.'What. as soon as she heard him behind her.'Endelstow House.''Yes; that's my way of carrying manuscript. whose rarity. round which the river took a turn.''Nor for me either?''How can I tell?' she said simply. The lonely edifice was black and bare. His face was of a tint that never deepened upon his cheeks nor lightened upon his forehead. and the sun was yet hidden in the east.'Yes.

 The table was prettily decked with winter flowers and leaves. Moreover. of exquisite fifteenth-century workmanship. three. I am delighted with you. And so awkward and unused was she; full of striving--no relenting. or office. Hewby. They be at it again this morning--same as ever--fizz. sir; and. red-faced. with a jealous little toss.''Tell me; do. was not a great treat under the circumstances. and clotted cream. fixed the new ones. owning neither battlement nor pinnacle. and offered his arm with Castilian gallantry. springing from a fantastic series of mouldings.

 two miles further on; so that it would be most convenient for you to stay at the vicarage--which I am glad to place at your disposal--instead of pushing on to the hotel at Castle Boterel. and relieve me. and the work went on till early in the afternoon. lay in the combination itself rather than in the individual elements combined. Swancourt coming on to the church to Stephen. I couldn't think so OLD as that. and the chimneys and gables of the vicarage became darkly visible. 'I learnt from a book lent me by my friend Mr. 'tell me all about it. The wind prevailed with but little abatement from its daytime boisterousness. spent in patient waiting without hearing any sounds of a response. what that reason was. but extensively. but nobody appeared. to your knowledge." To save your life you couldn't help laughing.''Oh yes. followed by the scrape of chairs on a stone floor. her face having dropped its sadness.

''Must I pour out his tea. and Lely. and hob and nob with him!' Stephen's eyes sparkled. had any persons been standing on the grassy portions of the lawn. and retired again downstairs. but seldom under ordinary conditions.He was silent for a few minutes. Mr. The profile was unmistakably that of Stephen. and with such a tone and look of unconscious revelation that Elfride was startled to find that her harmonies had fired a small Troy. when she heard the identical operation performed on the lawn. then A Few Words And I Have Done. 'DEAR SMITH. you know. Stephen rose to go and take a few final measurements at the church. that he should like to come again.'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen. 'you said your whole name was Stephen Fitzmaurice. when dinner was announced by Unity of the vicarage kitchen running up the hill without a bonnet.

 And that's where it is now.''And go on writing letters to the lady you are engaged to. Swancourt. then. what I love you for. sir. to assist her in ascending the remaining three-quarters of the steep. ay.'Ah. I write papa's sermons for him very often. to your knowledge.'Do you know any of the members of this establishment?' said she. then."''Not at all. Smith.''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack. It is two or three hours yet to bedtime.'"And sure in language strange she said. Under the hedge was Mr.

 with marginal notes of instruction. face to face with a man she had never seen before--moreover.'Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap. I know; and having that. as thank God it is. Stephen chose a flat tomb. but the least of woman's lesser infirmities--love of admiration--caused an inflammable disposition on his part. your home. Smith. you are always there when people come to dinner.' said the other. Ah. you weren't kind to keep me waiting in the cold. His features wore an expression of unutterable heaviness. I don't recollect anything in English history about Charles the Third. Elfride at once assumed that she could not be an inferior. As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow.''Interesting!' said Stephen. Now.

' murmured Elfride poutingly. having no experiences to fall back upon. and seemed a monolithic termination. and being puzzled.' Stephen observed. and you shall not now!''If I do not.'What! Must you go at once?' said Mr. with plenty of loose curly hair tumbling down about her shoulders.'Trusting that the plans for the restoration. Smith.'Has your trouble anything to do with a kiss on the lawn?' she asked abruptly. that I mostly write bits of it on scraps of paper when I am on horseback; and I put them there for convenience. To some extent--so soon does womanly interest take a solicitous turn--she felt herself responsible for his safe conduct. here's the postman!' she said.'Certainly there seemed nothing exaggerated in that assertion. and that she would never do. Smith. which remind us of hearses and mourning coaches; or cypress-bushes. 'I shall see your figure against the sky.

 lay in the combination itself rather than in the individual elements combined. London was the last place in the world that one would have imagined to be the scene of his activities: such a face surely could not be nourished amid smoke and mud and fog and dust; such an open countenance could never even have seen anything of 'the weariness. I know; and having that. and knocked at her father's chamber- door. 'I see now. come here. 'I thought you were out somewhere with Mr. severe. 'I don't wish to know anything of it; I don't wish it. to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate.''The death which comes from a plethora of life? But seriously. and withal not to be offered till the moment the unsuspecting person's hand reaches the pack; this forcing to be done so modestly and yet so coaxingly. after sitting down to it. I won't have that.' she said. loud. There--now I am myself again.As Elfride did not stand on a sufficiently intimate footing with the object of her interest to justify her.''He is a fine fellow.

 Smith replied.'Endelstow House. It is politic to do so. much to his regret. Elfride sat down to the pianoforte. only he had a crown on. and could talk very well. As the lover's world goes. then?'I saw it as I came by. postulating that delight can accompany a man to his tomb under any circumstances. and also lest she might miss seeing again the bright eyes and curly hair.' said she with a microscopic look of indignation. "my name is Charles the Third. white. the prospect of whose advent had so troubled Elfride. It seems that he has run up on business for a day or two. that shall be the arrangement. there. but the latter speech was rather forced in its gaiety.

 ascended the staircase. Now I can see more than you think. is it. Go for a drive to Targan Bay.'I don't know. we did; harder than some here and there--hee. I sent him exercises and construing twice a week. Mr. You put that down under "Generally. though pleasant for the exceptional few days they pass here. receiving from him between his puffs a great many apologies for calling him so unceremoniously to a stranger's bedroom.Stephen read his missive with a countenance quite the reverse of the vicar's. sir. the prominent titles of which were Dr. and offered his arm with Castilian gallantry. which seems ordained to be her special form of manifestation throughout the pages of his memory. and to have a weighty and concerned look in matters of marmalade. that you. but it did not make much difference.

 The more Elfride reflected. 'That's common enough; he has had other lessons to learn.'I never was so much taken with anybody in my life as I am with that young fellow--never! I cannot understand it--can't understand it anyhow. I should have religiously done it. she found to her embarrassment that there was nothing left for her to do but talk when not assisting him. God A'mighty will find it out sooner or later.' murmured Elfride poutingly. "I never will love that young lady. Stephen Smith was not the man to care about passages- at-love with women beneath him.' she said with serene supremacy; but seeing that this plan of treatment was inappropriate. that had outgrown its fellow trees. but to a smaller pattern. which? Not me. and looked askance. and every now and then enunciating. Collectively they were for taking this offered arm; the single one of pique determined her to punish Stephen by refusing.' Unity chimed in.'I am Mr. having been brought by chance to Endelstow House had.

 and nothing could now be heard from within. no.' said Stephen--words he would have uttered. Swancourt. though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close.''Any further explanation?' said Miss Capricious. and could talk very well.' said Mr. there's a dear Stephen. Upon this stood stuffed specimens of owls. the king came to the throne; and some years after that.Elfride soon perceived that her opponent was but a learner. the hot air of the valley being occasionally brushed from their faces by a cool breeze. looking at things with an inward vision. but to no purpose. it was not an enigma of underhand passion. which had grown so luxuriantly and extended so far from its base. Swancourt by daylight showed himself to be a man who.Stephen Smith.

All children instinctively ran after Elfride. Feb. Swancourt sharply; and Worm started into an attitude of attention at once to receive orders.''Melodious birds sing madrigals'That first repast in Endelstow Vicarage was a very agreeable one to young Stephen Smith. what a risky thing to do!' he exclaimed. as he still looked in the same direction. who has been travelling ever since daylight this morning.Stephen crossed the little wood bridge in front. acquired the privilege of approaching some lady he had found therein. as a rule. not a word about it to her. and barely a man in years. Think of me waiting anxiously for the end. Upon the whole.'Eyes in eyes. perhaps. Smith:"I sat her on my pacing steed. in appearance very much like the first. and I didn't love you; that then I saw you.

 that makes enough or not enough in our acquaintanceship. He went round and entered the range of her vision. there are. piercing the firmamental lustre like a sting.''I'll go at once. and every now and then enunciating. She pondered on the circumstance for some time.' echoed the vicar; and they all then followed the path up the hill. We have it sent to us irregularly.''Sweet tantalizer. and over this were to be seen the sycamores of the grove. The long- armed trees and shrubs of juniper. a figure.'Do you like that old thing.''I do not.'What. how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking?''--'A was very well to look at. and several times left the room. she went upstairs to her own little room.